Computer Games and Violence in Children

The UK government has launched a new review to find out the influence of violent computer games on children. The research will take place in a school in east London, under the supervision of Dr Byron, the Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Culture Secretary James Purnell.

The review will be assisted by the games industry’s association Elspa, however it expressed the irritation about constant blames on its address of the negative impact on society. According to the representative of Elspa, they feel very optimistic about the research, as finally it will enable the parents to control what their offspring is busy about while submerging into the web space for hours.

However many accuse the association of using violent titles for the games to attract the attention of children and teenagers.

While the results of the research are still to be delivered, we can give solid forecasts about what the results will be. According to the recent research, most preferred games were either the fantasy violence games (32%) or the sports games with the elements of violence (29%). The most popular game category was the martial arts. The research concluded that: The violence in these video games can desensitize children to violence and alter their perception of reality. It can give them the idea that violence is an acceptable way to deal with problems and conflict.

Those who are concerned with the problem of the aggressive computer games, also drive out attention to the television violence. According to one of the researchs of the American Psychological Association, aggressive behavior of a person rises from 3% to 15% after watching a violent movie. And even more in the young children.

Meanwhile, the concerned parents are still waiting Dr Byron’s review in December which will enable them to guide their children through the internet space as safely, as they are doing in the real world. The review will take into account the views of parents, children and the wider industry about the use of internet and video games and the regulations that exist to protect children.